Today, pubs’ unmatched friendly and relaxed ambiance draws visitors inside, in addition to the beer and food. A good pub provides delicious beer, has pleasant areas for relaxing, and is cozy and intimate. It also makes you feel at home. But not every sort of pub is precisely the same. That said, the following lists the many types of pubs that may be found across the globe.
A pub is a type of bar or tavern that often acts as a community gathering place and is a shorter version of a public house first used in 1859. Different types of pubs include:
- Gastropubs
- Roadhouse Pubs
- Country Pubs
- Brewpubs
- Micropubs
- NoLo Pubs
In the late 17th century, the phrase “public house” was first used to distinguish between private homes and those that were accessible to the general public as “alehouses,” “taverns,” and “inns.” However, in the past few decades, pubs have evolved into various styles influenced by culture, communities, conveniences, and more. In light of this, let’s look at what makes each pub unique.
It is not always ideal to plan a vacation around the amount of drinking you want to do. Still, sometimes it is unavoidable, and with so many new and unique pubs opening around the world, it is a great way to discover a new city by planning your vacation around the places you want to go.
When it comes to the city with the most pubs, maybe predictably, London came out on top, with a staggering 1,327 pubs and bars in and around the city, knocking out New York and Tokyo and placing itself in the first place.
Of course, with so many pubs to choose from, it’s virtually a given that not all pubs are created equal in terms of service, hospitality, community, style, alcohol availability, and so much more.
As a result, since their development in popularity over the decades, pubs have become increasingly distinct from one another, each possessing a well-known design or type that is often desired or suited to fit the needs of various people. Now let’s look at what each type of pub offers, starting with Gastropubs.
1. Gastropubs
What’s better than a delicious meal? The answer: A delicious dinner delivered beside a fresh pint in a cozy pub. London is the world’s gastropub capital, with boozers that can compete in the culinary rankings with restaurants – they just happen to come with stunning Victorian architecture, fireplaces, and dogs (mostly).
So if you find yourself in a gastropub, you’ve wound up in the correct location whether you’re looking for fish & chips, a roast, or an oxtail ragù. Because atmos bags make food taste better. And that’s a fact.
The name gastropub, which combines the terms pub and gastronomy, was coined in 1991 to stress the culinary part of this type of venue. Simply described, a gastropub concentrates on superb cuisine and outstanding beer – think of it as a “restaurant in a pub.”
A gastropub is a place to relax, unwind, and enjoy oneself with friends and family; people should leave feeling as if they’ve just received a giant embrace.” But, finally, a gastropub is still a pub at heart, where people can come together to share fantastic cuisine while also putting the world to rights over a fine pint. That said, the following are two examples of excellent gastropubs.
The Royal Oak – London
Known as the gastropub of two halves, the Royal Oak is a gastropub that many love. Upstairs is a refined, peaceful, staid dining area where new Eastenders dine on costly but superb Modern European cuisine.
Downstairs in the attractive pub, which is set around a fine central bar, the mood is rowdier, with easily distracted workers delivering pricy wines and ales to a mix of vintage-clad creatives who keep the buzz of talk going all night.
The Dandelion – Philadelphia
Stephen Starr’s welcoming drinking establishment has English-style décor and a menu of polished country pub favorites (think rabbit rillettes and a traditional Sunday roast).
A careful choice of cask and draft ales, including British stalwarts like Bombardier, is available in half and imperial pints.
2. Roadhouse Pubs
If you’ve ever wondered what a roadhouse pub is, let me explain: Roadhouse pubs are a subgenre of the dive bar (in the United States) located along a major road or highway to give refuge to motorists and motorcycle riders.
Roadhouse pubs are a bit of a rough-and-tumble, but those that remain are often down-to-earth spots that welcome everybody and are a fantastic location to drink a beer or two. In the United Kingdom, the phrase was frequently used to refer to a high-end motel, but it is now more regularly used to refer to a roadside pub, restaurant, or hotel, depending on the context.
A roadhouse is also known as a halting house. As a result, roadhouse pubs are frequently situated far apart.
The word “roadhouse” was initially referred to as a coaching inn. Still, with the introduction of popular motor automobile travel in the United Kingdom in the 1920s and 1930s, a new form of roadhouse appeared, frequently placed on newly constructed arterial highways and bypasses.
Tennis courts and swimming pools were available at the more opulent roadhouses. Their popularity peaked with World War II when recreational road travel became impossible, and the introduction of post-war drunk driving restrictions stopped them from fully recovering.
Instead, many of these establishments operate as pub restaurants or fast food operations and have used the term “roadhouse pub” in its place. Two excellent examples of a roadhouse pub include:
Fall City Roadhouse pub and Inn – Washington
This historic pub and restaurant is half an hour east of Seattle and has been operating since 1916.
It was made famous by its appearances on the TV program Twin Peaks when it was utilized as the exterior for the cleverly named The Roadhouse.
Packsaddle Roadhouse – Silver City Highway, Australia
The trusty, rusty Packsaddle Roadhouse is the ultimate outback pub. This roadhouse pub has been nicknamed a “diamond in the dust” and is located about 108 miles north of Broken Hill, with a pub, dining room, beer garden, and even some on-site camping if you’re interested.
You’ll feel like you’re in a Clint Eastwood movie with corrugated iron, huge kegs, fairy lights, and hanging cowboy hats and boots. So it’s no surprise that rump steak, T-bones, grilled feeds, and schnitzels are on the menu, along with various delectable meat pies.
3. Country Pubs
A “country pub” is merely a rural drinking establishment, but one with a beautiful picture of thatched roofs and whitewashed stone walls. Or so we imagine. The country pub, like urban pubs, may serve as a social and recreational hub, allowing people to connect, trade news, and collaborate on local philanthropic events.
However, that ethos of serving as a social hub for a village or rural community began to fade in the late twentieth century, when many country pubs closed or were converted to restaurants or gastropubs. Fortunately, many country pubs still exist in the United Kingdom. And there is only one reason to go for a rural stroll in the UK. And, of course, it’s to the country pub.
The Dales are stunning, the coastline walk is pulchritudinous, and the Broads are incredible. However, many people don’t see the walk’s value without the possibility of a pint.
Because an excellent country pub is as much a secular church as it is a boozer, a well-oiled house of worship, not merely a shelter from the wind (especially those in the British isles), but an institution dyed deep into the fabric of this green and pleasant land.
A haven for solace, good humor, and joyful cliché, where wet socks are dried in front of blazing hearths, beers are always foaming, and summer nights are whiled away in the gentle crepuscular gloom. They’re as traditional as orderly lines, milky tea, and a million ways to say ‘sorry.’ Also known as being proudly democratic, a lot of life is usually found in a country pub.
Country pubs are often frequented by farmers, travelers, fools, lords and shepherdesses, bishops, and knaves.
Mostly, a country pub is somewhere to meet up, relax, and socialize over a drink and occasionally over a meal. There’s a quiz, dominoes, darts, and a football team here. Frequently serves as a focal point in the community. A Country Pub is similar, except that it is located in a rural setting, as the name implies. While the following two pubs resemble different traditions, they fall into the country pub category.
The Copper Dog – Scotland
The Copper Dog country pub in the Craigellachie Hotel overlooking the River Spey serves fantastic meals and drinks in a rustic, homely Scottish environment.
This high-end pub fare is as cozy as the hotel’s fireplaces.
The Crosskeys Inn – Antrim, Ireland
The magnificent old Crosskeys Inn is Ireland’s oldest thatch country pub. It’s also possibly one of the most beautiful on the island.
The Crosskeys Inn, known for its traditional music and Guinness, is an authentic traditional Irish pub that goes back to before 1654.
4. Themed Pubs
A themed pub is a pub that caters to a particular culture, style, or activity, sometimes intending to attract a specific audience. Many are appropriately adorned and equipped, with the theme occasionally affecting the sort of food or drink on sale. Sports pubs, rock pubs, motorcycle pubs, Goth pubs, karaoke pubs, and Irish pubs are examples of theme pubs.
People think of sports bars, for example, as welcoming places (as long as you support their side), and some of the most popular sports pubs go out of their way to make customers feel welcome. Many pubs (particularly sports bars) adorn the walls with sports memorabilia to establish the mood. Decorate the walls with sports memorabilia and other items contributed by customers.
On the other hand, Irish pubs have a distinct culture centered on a relaxed and welcoming ambiance, substantial food and drink, Irish sports, and traditional Irish music.
Because of their tremendous popularity, the Irish pub motif has spread worldwide. So, for example, you could find many Irish-themed pubs worldwide and often have a full house to celebrate St Patrick’s day as a means of promoting Irish culture and tradition and reason to drink plenty of Guinness.
The following are two examples of themed pubs:
Eire Pub – Boston (Irish Pub)
The Eire Pub is well recognized for being a site where you never know who or what you might see, along with celebrities, sports icons, and championship trophies.
The Eire Pub has been a mainstay in one of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods for 50 years.
The Eire, which was first established as a conventional “Men’s Bar,” has transformed into a top-notch dining and drinking spot.
Greenwood Sports Pub and Kitchen – London
Have you ever imagined enjoying mouthwatering pub fare while watching a game on a giant screen? If so, include Victoria’s Greenwood Sports Pub and Kitchen on your list of places to visit.
This pub offers everything you need to feel like a winner, including a reputation for presenting a wide variety of sports and must-see competitions on enormous projectors, as well as providing burgers, hot chicken wings, and loaded shared platters in a lively setting.
5. Micropubs
A micropub in Britain is a tiny, contemporary, one-room pub established on the ideals laid forth by Martyn Hillier, who opened the first micropub, The Butchers Arms, in Herne, Kent, in 2005. Micropubs often emphasize regional cask brew and are “focused upon fine drink and lively chat.”
After the 2003 Licensing Act was passed and went into force in 2005, opening a small pub was made more straightforward. Additionally, a micropub explosion hit the pub scene in 2012.
They revitalized the British pub and have been a resounding success, as seen by the existence of more than 500 micropubs in the UK and more worldwide. In essence, it’s a straightforward, little pub that solely serves beer; no food is offered.
There isn’t a lot of equipment required because the emphasis is on offering excellent, premium small brew beers. They are becoming increasingly well-known in the US
6. NoLo Pubs
Finally, we have the NoLo pubs, A “NoLo” or “No Lo” pub is one that solely offers non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks. One of the main trends in alcohol in the UK in 2020 was predicted to be no and low (often known as “nolo”) alcoholic beverages.
Among those 18-24 years old, less alcohol is being consumed, or substitutes with little or no alcohol are being substituted. Only products with an alcohol by volume (ABV) below 1.2 percent may be marketed as “low alcohol” in the UK. The ABV of alcohol-free products must not exceed 0.05 percent, and anything over 0.5 percent should be called “de-alcoholized.”
According to the annual British craft beer report, since 2016, sales of low- or no-alcohol beers have increased by 30%, and customers increasingly demand a more extensive selection at pubs and bars. As a result, NoLo pubs have been springing into the Pub family. An example of a NoLo Pub includes:
The Clean Vic NoLo Pub – London
On Wednesday, July 24, the first NoLo pub in the UK opened in London, embracing individuals who want to limit their alcohol use and others who just don’t like the hangover that follows a pub out.
The Sainsbury’s Clean Vic No & Low Alcohol Pub, located on New Oxford Street, featured bartenders and beer on tap just like a regular pub. Still, everything on the menu was either completely non-alcoholic or had an ABV of only 0.5 percent.
Conclusion
Many individuals believe that meeting our neighbors, coworkers, and friends at the local pub fosters a feeling of community. If we don’t continue the tradition, our streets won’t have any pubs left.
With that in mind, it’s always a good idea to know what kind of pub to search for and exactly what its history is when savoring a new head of a pint the next time you travel.